FARGO - It was the courage of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., that publicly exposed the Abramoff corruption.
As I watch the Abramoff scandal unfold in Washington, I am not surprised that the two people who had the guts to expose the scandal now are under attack by those they investigated. And I hope people understand what is going on.
McCain and Dorgan led the Senate Indian Affairs Committee investigation of the bilking of Indian tribes of tens of millions of dollars by Jack Abramoff and others. The Justice Department's announcement of Abramoff's guilty plea last week confirms what McCain and Dorgan's hearings have exposed.
Now, we see the attempt at retaliation orchestrated by some of the very people who were named in the investigation.
People close to the Abramoff operation (such as top Republican strategist Grover Norquist and others) are attacking both McCain and Dorgan in print and on the national media.
Once again, the lesson is clear. If you have courage to investigate and expose corruption, you are going to be attacked.
What a total canard. In order for us to accept Sinner's conclusions both McCain and Dorgan wold be under attack.
Is anybody attacking McCain? I haven't heard of it. In fact, the only time I've heard McCain's name mentioned in connection to this scandal is in regard to his role in investigating the matter. Dorgan, however, is a much different matter. Sen. Dorgan accepted $67,000 (that we know of) from Abramoff employees and clients. Sen. Dorgan, by his own admission, took favorable political action for those clients. Sen. Dorgan once used Abramoff's suite at the MCI Center for a fundraiser. His connections to Abramoff's dirty politicking are many, and while that may not add up directly to criminal or ethical violations it does provide more than enough impetus for asking questions.
Putting it bluntly: Nobody is attacking Byron Dorgan. Rather, many people are questioning his apparent connection to a major lobbying scandal.
What does Sinner have against that? Other than the fact that Dorgan is a fellow Demcorat, that is.